Bearer Of Bad News
by radnewsbarrett
Summary: When a young woman is whisked away from a party by a masked man, she realizes that he is the one who will decide how she does in her opera career - but little does she know, Wade Barrett has much more sinister intents. [Loosely based on Phantom of the Opera. Wade Barrett/OC/Damien Sandow.]
1. Chapter 1

"I've got some bad news, darling..." the man whispered, his deep voice piercing the silence between us. "You're not going anywhere."

I sucked in a gulp of air, glancing at the entrance of the ballroom. The warm lighting was so close, but it was just out of my reach. The man gripped my shoulders tight, circling his fingers over my shoulder blades. He smirked, but I could only see half of his mouth twitch into a grin; he wore a mask that covered the left side of his face. "Come with me. Alright?"

I nodded immediately, relieved. He finally let me get off of the wall, and I stood shakily, wobbling for a moment. The man caught me before I fell, and to my surprise, hoisted me into his arms.

He carried me to the roof of the building where the ball was being held. I grimaced when I remembered what the ball was for; Summer, the conceited woman who performed in the same opera house as me, had gotten the lead role in our next performance. The ball was in her honor. I had been having a rather bad time, staying in the corner of the large room. And before I knew what was happening, this mysterious man had whisked me outside.

He placed me on my feet once we reached the roof. I steadied myself and watched as the man strode to the edge of the roof. He tapped his foot as he gazed at the city lights.

"...What is your name?" Though I wasn't expecting a straight answer, I spoke.

His foot froze. "Barrett – Wade Barrett."

I nodded. "That's a nice name," I commented, taking a step closer to him. His foot tapping resumed, and he sighed deeply.

"In sleep you sang to me, in dreams you came..."

I started when Wade began to sing. It was soft, but it was beautiful, and it captivated me. It took me a moment to recognize the song.

"That's... That's the lullaby my father used to sing to me. How would you know that?" Wade's voice slowly faded, and he turned around to send me a knowing smirk.

Slowly I began to fit the puzzle pieces together. "Are you... Are you the Phantom?" I remembered my father telling me about the Phantom's accident; that his face was forever scarred and he never showed it. My father had told me that the Phantom would be there when I began my work at the opera house, that he would teach me how to sing like no one ever had...

Wade simply nodded, turning back to the moonlight. I took long, heavy strides towards him and spun him around.

"If you're the Phantom, then you've been sent here by my father."

Wade laughed. "No, love – I'm here on my own accord. And I'm not going to teach you to sing, no... You already have the loveliest voice in the world. I'm going to make sure your superiors recognize your talent." I felt my face grow warm when he gave me a cocky, crooked grin.

"Well, since we have all this sorted out, may I please return to the ball? My partner is waiting for me." I was sure that Damien, an old friend of mine, was quite worried for me.

Wade grimaced. "If you must. But trust me, dear – you will visit me again very, very soon, and if you don't, well..."

"If I don't what?" I demanded. I was beginning to grow annoyed.

Wade suddenly trapped my lips in a short, delicate kiss. He whispered against my lips, giving me a message that sent chills down my spine.

"Then I'm afraid I'll have some bad news."

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**A/N: After endless scrolling through my favorite BNB blog**, **I wrote this. I think it came out pretty nice. There are probably more chapters to come. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**(Formerly known as The Phantom's News [I think this one sounds much better])**

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I hurried down the metal stairs, making sure to not trip on my long dress. I was still pretty unsettled about what just happened. "I mean, Father told me that the Phantom hid himself in the shadows of the opera house..." I mused to myself, still rapidly descending the steps. "I guess that makes sense. And what he said about making my superiors realize my talent..." I froze for a second, lost in thought. "Was he saying I should've been the lead role?" I laughed that off, continuing to hop down stairs. "No, it couldn't be that. I'm not that good."

I finally reached the bottom and took a moment to catch my breath. I tried my best to sneak back in through the back, but Damien caught me before I was even through the door.

"Olivia, where the hell have you been?!" he cried, grabbing my arm. "I've been worried sick!"

I laughed nervously; I had an idea that Wade preferred to remain anonymous. "Well, I decided to go...get some fresh air, so I headed up to the roof." Damien simply shook his head and sighed. In an attempt to ease the mood, I blurted out, "Do you want to go up there with me?"

Damien looked at me, a bit taken aback. "I - I mean, you don't necessarily look like you're having fun - I, well... It's really nice up there." I was obviously having trouble stringing together my lie.

Instead of declining like I expected, Damien smiled almost bashfully. "I'd really enjoy that - much more than staying at a party full of ignoramuses." I laughed.

I practically dragged Damien up the stairs while he complained about the "terribly unsafe steps that must have been designed by an utter moron". I simply laughed at his disdain as we continued upward.

When we arrived at the roof, I heard Damien suck in a breath. He was in awe of the gorgeous lights twinkling beneath us, as I was as well. He walked to the ledge and stared down in wonder, leaning his hands on the barrier keeping him from falling over, and for a moment Wade flashed before my eyes, tapping his foot, singing.

I shook the image out of my head and joined Damien. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I asked him. He nodded immediately.

"It's almost... It's almost as beautiful as you." I laughed, throwing my arms around Damien.

"You're so great, Damien, you big flirt." Damien smiled at me, hugging me back. We stood there for a while, our arms around each other, staring down at the bright city lights.

After a while, I heard a quiet 'clunk', like someone was climbing the stairs to the roof. I glanced back at the stairs, worried, and gasped when I saw Wade simply staring at me from the darkness.

Damien let go of me. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

I stuttered as I responded. "I - Well, I, uh... I have to go. I have to go visit with Madame Lana back at the opera house. I'll see you later, Damien!" I dashed towards the stairs and began to descend them two at a time. I was certain Wade was still on the stairs. "I had a nice time!" I called back. I hoped Damien heard me.

As I ran down the staircase, I kicked off my high heels. The sound of my feet slapping the metal steps reminded me of Wade's fading footsteps after he had warned about out next meeting, which only worried me more.

I could tell that Wade had just been planning to have that meeting a moment ago, but I know he didn't expect to see Damien. I prayed it didn't anger him - he was frightening enough without any extreme emotions.

Finally I reached the bottom. I could see Wade's silhouette against the lights from the windows, so I called out to him. "Wade!" I cried, running towards him. I began to feel drips of rain on my head.

I slowed to a stop before him, looking up into his eyes. The covered side of his face was closer to the light than the other, which left the unexposed part of his face in shadows. He looked something like a porcelain doll, with his mask as the smooth, glass skin.

He shifted so I could see his whole face, and I winced when I noticed the snarl on his face. Though I was terrified, I tried to explain things to him. "L - Listen, Wade. I was just showing Damien the roof, okay? Anyways, you never told me when we would meet again, so - "

"Just because I leave doesn't mean you can grab another man to be close to. What does he know about performing? What does he know about anything, for that matter?" For a moment I was tempted to inform Wade of Damien's vast knowledge, but I held my tongue.

"Damien isn't that close to me. This is the first time we've seen each other in months." Wade nodded, seemingly calming down. I hoped that that was the case.

He smiled a bit. "...Alright. I'm sorry - I blew things out of proportion. I have a way to make up for it, though. You'll see in a week or so. I'm sure you'll like it, love."

I nodded unsurely. "Okay. Thank you. Now when do we need to meet next?"

Wade thought for a moment. "Well... Not until next week - actually, I have something to show you soon. I'll come to you - and I'll make sure to arrive when you're alone."

I nodded. "I see. Thank you, Wade." And again, he shot me that arrogant smirk that made me go weak in the knees. I looked down do he wouldn't see my burning face. "I'll see you later."

Wade stopped me from walking away. "You must be freezing, Olivia." When he said that, I noticed that my hair was dripping wet and that I was standing in a puddle of rain. I nodded sheepishly, rubbing my hands together.

"Well, not for long." Suddenly, Wade removed his large, regal-looking coat and draped it over my shoulders. I pulled it further over myself and smiled.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a week," I remarked, walking away. Wade didn't respond.

When I arrived at the opera house, I ran to my dressing room and changed immediately. Relieved to be in some dry clothes and tired out from the night's bizarre happenings, I laid down on the cot in the back of the room.

I pondered about Wade as I waited for sleep. He was fascinating, albeit frightening, and he was a gentleman as well. I still didn't understand him… Then again, maybe I never would.

Finally, I fell asleep, wondering what news waited for me next week.

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**A/N: Welp, I wrote more. Lots more Sandow, which is always a good thing. Hope you guys enjoyed! **


	3. Chapter 3

My morning began rather abruptly when Madame Lana, my instructor, promptly slapped me in the face. I jumped, hurriedly throwing my feet over the side of the cot. "W-What did I do?" I stammered, terrified.

Lana stared down at me with a cold expression. "You never met with me. What were you even doing at the ball? You left three times!"

I tried to stutter a response, but couldn't think of anything to say. Lana simply huffed and left, pausing for a moment at the door. "Meet me in ten minutes in the rehearsal room." I nodded quickly, standing up, and Lana left.

I pulled some clothes on and nearly ran to her rehearsal room, tripping several times. Lana always expected me to be five minutes early. "Good morning, Ma'am," I gasped, pausing for air in the doorway.

She scoffed at me, motioning for me to join her. We danced for a while, and then sang afterwords. This was all to prepare for the upcoming opera, starring Summer Rae. Though I had a relatively minor role, I practiced as hard as I could to be my best. Another portion, however, was learning Summer Rae's part; I had been assigned to be her understudy.

At the end of rehearsal, Lana smiled at me. "You did well today, Olivia," she said, placing her hand on my shoulder. "You will be amazing in the performance."

I grinned. "That means a lot. Thank you."

In my room, I didn't do much. I danced a bit more, but I was bored out of my mind. At least until I spotted a single rose sitting on my bed.

When I examined it, I noticed a small note tied to the stem. "Meet me tonight, in the basement. And bring my cape, please."

I spent most of the day after that simply waiting for nightfall. However, Damien arrived at my room, catching me off guard.

"Olivia?" he called as he rapped on the door. I quickly set the rose down and answered him.

"Hello, Damien," I greeted, curtsying slightly. Damien seemed almost amused by my actions.

"I eagerly await your performance tomorrow. I wish you the best of luck." Damien nodded and walked away. I was a bit befuddled as to why he visited. Shrugging it off, I looked outside and realized night had fallen.

I snuck to the basement, waiting by the stairs. Next to the stairs stood a few candles, the wax hardened into droplets running down the holder. I smiled, recalling the fond memories of coming down here every night when I was young with my friend Paige. I would light a candle every night for my father.

"Hello!" I jumped when I heard Wade's voice call to me from the other side of the stairs. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Olivia."

I stepped out from behind the stairs, facing him. "You too, Wade. You too." I handed him his cape.

He draped it over his shoulders, and it made me realize just how tall he really was. He towered above me, with a muscular, powerful build; it made me wonder if I'd be able to escape from him, if he got angry...

I pushed that thought out of my head. 'There's no way Wade would do that!' I reasoned with myself. 'Unless he saw Damien visit my room...' I hadn't realized that Wade was holding his hand out, waiting for me to take it. I hesitantly took his hand, holding onto it tightly.

We walked for a long time, and I soon realized that I was traveling with Wade through the sewers. I gripped his hand tightly, a bit frightened of what was to come.

However, I realized that I had no reason to be afraid. When we arrived at what I assumed was him home, I gasped.

It was lovely. There was a beautiful bed lying in the corner of the spacious room, but my favorite part was a golden piano in the middle of the room.

"This is amazing!" was all I could really manage. My fear absolutely washed away as I watched Wade approach the piano.

"Sing Summer's part, please," he said politely, flipping some music. A bit taken aback, I hesitated before beginning her big solo.

"Think of me, think of me kindly, when we say goodbye..."

I loved his piano; his fingers slid over the keys and created one of the most beautiful pieces of music I'd ever heard. I continued to sing, smiling a bit through my words.

The song finished, and Wade smirked at me. "I knew you were perfect for this role," he declared, standing up. "You sounded beautiful, Olivia."

I could feel my face grow warm. "Thank you," I murmured, looking down at my feet. "You're very kind."

Wade smiled and walked up to me, placing his hand under my chin and tilting my head towards his. "I'm just speaking the truth. Have fun in the opera, Olivia. You will do amazing." He placed his hand in mine and led me back to the staircase to the ground floor.

"Tomorrow morning I want you to work a little harder on Summer's part, okay?" Wade asked, seeming to chuckle to himself. I simply nodded, confused.

"Goodbye, darling. Good luck. I'll make sure to watch the performance." Wade, taking my hands in his, kissed me. Once we parted, he left, casting me one final look before disappearing into the halls.

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**A/N: Ah, I know this is kinda short and lame. I've been having a bit of trouble writing this (especially after I watched the actual musical and realized I've botched everything up) but here's a chapter :) Thank you for reading!**


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